Featured Research

from universities, journals, and other organizations

Fossil Find: 'Godzilla' Crocodile Had Head Of A Dinosaur, Fins Like A Fish

Date:

November 11, 2005

Source:

Ohio State University

Summary:

Researchers have discovered evidence of an ancient sea creature that would have made Tyrannosaurus rex, think twice before stepping into the ocean. At the southern tip of South America, they found fossils of an entirely new species of ancient crocodile -- one whose massive jaws and jagged teeth would have made it the most fearsome predator in the sea.

Share This

Photos of Dakosaurus andiniensis skull, with diagrams and a close-up view of the teeth -- including a microscopic view of one tooth's serrated edge. (Figure courtesy of Diego Pol, Ohio State University)

Researchers have discovered evidence of an ancient sea creature that would have made Tyrannosaurus rex, think twice before stepping into the ocean.

Related Articles

At the southern tip of South America , they found fossils of an entirely new species of ancient crocodile – one whose massive jaws and jagged teeth would have made it the most fearsome predator in the sea.

Unlike the crocodiles we know today, Dakosaurus andiniensis lived entirely in the water, and had fins instead of legs. But that's not all that made it unusual. Two other features – its hefty size and T. rex-like snout – have earned it a unique place in history – and the nickname “Godzilla.”

Diego Pol, a postdoctoral researcher at the Mathematical Biosciences Institute and the Department of Biomedical Informatics at Ohio State University , determined that the oddly shaped fossil specimens found in Patagonia belong on the crocodile family tree.

“This species was very unusual, because other marine crocodiles that were around at the same time had very delicate features – long, skinny snouts and needle-like teeth for catching small fish and mollusks,” he said. “But this croc was just the opposite. It had a short snout, and large teeth with serrated edges. It was definitely a predator of large sea creatures.”

Paleontologists Zulma Gasparini and Luis Spalletti of the National University of La Plata in Argentina uncovered the crocodile's fossil bones in Patagonia ; Pol used sophisticated software to map the features of those bones and determine its lineage. Together, they describe the creature in the latest issue of the journal Science.

It measured 13 feet from nose to tail. Its jaws were a foot-and-a-half long, with interlocking serrated teeth up to four inches long.

There were many other sizes of marine crocodile species alive 135 million years ago, toward the end of the Jurassic, but all had long snouts and needle-like teeth. None were larger than D. andiniensis, and none were as robust.

Yet, Pol found that the gargantuan crocodile was more closely related to the smallest of its brethren than any of the larger species. The shape of the nostrils, eye sockets, and other areas of the skull combined with a telltale groove in its jaw to prove its lineage.

“This is the most remarkable change in the size and shape of the teeth and snout in the history of marine crocs,” Pol said.

The three fossil specimens were found in 1996 – one on farmland in the Mendoza province of Patagonia , and two in a rock formation in Neuquιn province to the south. During the time that D. andiniensis was alive, the region was a deep tropical bay of the Pacific Ocean .

The researchers don't yet know what events triggered the relatively sudden emergence of the large crocodile, but the size and shape of the teeth indicate that it probably fed on other marine reptiles and large sea creatures in the bay instead of small fish.

The National Geographic Society funded this research, and will feature D. andiniensis in the December 2005 issue of National Geographic Magazine.

Ohio State University. "Fossil Find: 'Godzilla' Crocodile Had Head Of A Dinosaur, Fins Like A Fish." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 11 November 2005. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/11/051110221017.htm>.

Ohio State University. (2005, November 11). Fossil Find: 'Godzilla' Crocodile Had Head Of A Dinosaur, Fins Like A Fish. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 3, 2015 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/11/051110221017.htm

Ohio State University. "Fossil Find: 'Godzilla' Crocodile Had Head Of A Dinosaur, Fins Like A Fish." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/11/051110221017.htm (accessed March 3, 2015).

Mar. 3, 2015  Rather than just waiting patiently for any pollinator that comes their way to start the next generation of seeds, some plants appear to recognize the best suitors and 'turn on' to increase the chance ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015  Two of the four known groups of human AIDS viruses (HIV-1 groups O and P) have originated in western lowland gorillas, according to new research. The scientists conducted a comprehensive survey of ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015  Methane emissions are strongly reduced in lakes with anoxic bottom waters. But – contrary to what has previously been assumed – methane removal is not always due to archaea or anaerobic bacteria. ... full story

Mar. 2, 2015  For the first time, researchers have produced a 3-D image revealing part of the inner structure of an intact, infectious virus, using a unique X-ray laser. The virus, called Mimivirus, is in a ... full story

Mar. 2, 2015  In the first study of its kind since the 1920s, rats in New York City were found to carry a flea species capable of transmitting plague pathogens. Among them: 500-plus Oriental rat fleas, notorious ... full story

Mar. 2, 2015  What do a human colon, septic tank, copper nanoparticles and zebrafish have in common? They were the key components used by researchers to study the impact copper nanoparticles, which are found in ... full story

Mar. 2, 2015  You might resemble or act more like your mother, but a novel research study reveals that mammals are genetically more like their dads. Specifically, the research shows that although we inherit equal ... full story

Mar. 2, 2015  Researchers have examined the association of nut and peanut consumption with mortality among low-income and racially diverse populations and found that intake of peanuts was associated with fewer ... full story

Featured Videos

Rare Goblin Shark Found in Australia

AFP (Mar. 3, 2015)  A goblin shark, a rare sea creature described as an &apos;alien of the deep&apos; is found off Australia and delivered to the Australian Museum in Sydney. Duration: 01:25
Video provided by AFP

Zookeepers Copy Animal Poses In Hilarious Viral Photos

Buzz60 (Mar. 2, 2015)  Zookeepers at the Symbio Wildlife Park in Helensburgh, Australia decided to take some of their favorite animal photos and recreate them by posing just like the animals. Jen Markham (@jenmarkham) has the story.
Video provided by Buzz60

Related Stories

May 7, 2014  Scientists have discovered a new species of long-snouted tyrannosaur, nicknamed Pinocchio rex, which stalked the Earth more than 66 million years ago. Researchers say the animal, which belonged to ... full story

May 21, 2013  Today, the most diverse species of crocodile are found in northern South America and Southeast Asia: As many as six species of alligator and four true crocodiles exist, although no more than two or ... full story

May 4, 2012  A crocodile large enough to swallow humans once lived in East Africa, according to new research. It may have exceeded 27 feet in length. By comparison, the largest recorded Nile crocodile was less ... full story

May 4, 2011  Scars on the jaw of a 120-million-year-old marine reptile suggest that life might not have been easy in the ancient polar oceans. The healed bite wounds were probably made by a member of the same ... full story

Mar. 22, 2010  Ancient bite marks and fossilized feces discovered in Georgia are providing new details about a giant crocodile that roamed the Southeast United States about 79 million years ... full story

ScienceDaily features breaking news and videos about the latest discoveries in health, technology, the environment, and more -- from major news services and leading universities, scientific journals, and research organizations.